Social Contract
Foundations of American Education
As a student in the education department we hope you understand the importance of developing integrity and the social behaviors that are necessary to become a successful teacher.
As a student in the Foundations of American Education course I commit to:
- Be respectful.
- Help create a culture of mutual respect in the virtual classroom.
- Always demonstrate proper Netiquette — Be respectful of teachers and fellow students as demonstrated by your language and respecting others' opinions and work in online discussions. This would include no put-downs or derogatory remarks in response to other student's postings. We encourage questioning other points of view but it should be done in a polite manner.
- Be a strong team member.
- This means that you will submit posts in a timely manner so that your team members may also be able to post in a timely manner. If you are not posting in a timely manner then this impacts your team members' performance in class as well.
- You are not competing against your team members or other members of the class. You are to cooperate and help each other by sharing ideas, resources, and experiences. If all meet the standard, all can earn an A.
- Help your team members grow and develop by posing questions or thoughts that will help them better understand the issues.
- Develop thoughtful posts that elicit responses and reflections of your team members.
- Be informed.
- Being aware of the expectations as you go through the course.
- Being familiar with the information as posted on the course home page.
- Be responsible.
- Complete assignments in a timely manner.
- Be accountable for choices you make.
- Any questions that you have regarding assignments will be posed to team members before they are posed to the professor. If the team members all need clarification then it is appropriate to present the question to the professor.
- Give your best effort.
- Don't just try to "get by." Put forth an honest effort to think deeply to strengthen your understanding of the course and to give your best effort on all assignments.
- Strive for improvement.
- If there are areas that are challenging to you strive to work with your professor to strengthen these areas.
As your professor, I commit to:
- Be respectful.
- I will be respectful to you in our conversations, whether face to face or electronically, by listening to and respecting your considered opinions and work.
- I will not do anything to unduly humiliate or embarrass you.
- Be responsive.
- I will respond in a prompt manner (within 24 hours on school days — I will probably take holidays off as well!) to communications from you as a student to any concerns you may express regarding the class or assignments.
- I will let you know if I am going to be away from the computer for longer than 24 hours.
- I will provide feedback on assignments in a timely manner to assist in your learning process.
- Be responsible.
- The professor's role is to be an observer and facilitator. I will participate in discussions as appropriate, especially if I see that a team is missing the key points or getting too far astray from the objectives.
- I will strive to actively engage you in the learning process.
- I will provide information in a timely manner regarding assignments and expectations within the program.
As in any contract each side is expected to fulfill their portion of the agreement. If the professor feels that a student is not meeting their portion of the contract the professor will contact the student and discuss the issue with him/her.
If a student feels that a professor is not fulfilling his/her portion of the contract the student may:
- Express their concerns to the involved faculty member.
- Share their concerns with the department chair in writing.